Weed-destroying attachment for railway cars



Nov. 2o, 192s. 1,692,739

M. HOLLAND WEED DESTROYING `A'FllAClMllll' FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Nov. '9, 1926 Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES MARTIN HOLLAND, F LAURENS, IOWA.

WEED-DESTR-OYING ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Application filed Novemberl 9, 1926. y Serial No. 147,258

This invention relates to improvements in weed destroying attachment for railway cars, and particularly designed to be attached to the Asmallmotor cars used by section hands, and when attached is adapted todestroy weeds along the grade adjacent to the yends ofthe ties. j

The object of myinvention is to provide a weed destroying attachment of simple, durable and inexpensive construction which may be easily and quickly attached to the ordinary motor vcar used by section hands, Vand when attached is adapted to cultivate ands-tir the soil or the ballast of the road bed adjacent to the ends ofthe ties in such a manner as to destroy l.the weeds growing in the space covered bythe cultivatingattachment,and at the same time rovide means ,whereby the crown of the grade slopemay be maintained at a minimum cost. d

More specifically it is the object of my invention to provide a pair lof detachable frame members, onefor each side vofthe motor car, each of the .frame members being provided withfa beam which may be adjusted at various angles relative to the motor car, and at yarious elevations, vand at various distances toward and from the car, :said beam being provided I,with a series of cultiyating disks 'for stirring theground surface, and each of said disks being independently supported so that its angle relativezto'the beam maybe adjusted to meetvarious working conditions.

' A further .object istoproy'idea weeding or cultivating att achment 'for motor cars so constructed and arranged that a maximum amount Vof work may be performed with ,av minimum amount of power, and at the same time permitting the weeds and trash to pass through and between the cultivating members `without tangling. j

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, 'whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setfort-h, pointed out inmy claims, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in

which: i i l `Figure 1 is an'end elevatioynrof a motor car showing the manner in which my iinproved device is attached thereto,one 'of the weeding members being removed.

Figure 2 is a plan View of onerofthe weed. ing membersand its supporting frame, togetherwitha portion of the motor car frame.

Figure 3 is a. detail, side elevation of the members are boltedy between the side members. The lower ones of .the side members A 11 are supported on axles 13 having wheels 14. Adjacent to the inner face of each ofthe end members 12 I have provided a pipe lhaving its ends proj ecting through the space between the members 11 and yeach endV being screw threaded. Each end of the pipe 1,5 is provided with a` plate 16 designed to rest` against the outer surface of the members llland locked in position by meansv of nuts `17. This provides means for anchoring the Jipe in position, said pipe being permitted toremain Apermanently after once installed.

Each endof the said pipe 15 is designedto receive an `eye bolt 18. That portion of the eye bolt extending within the .pipes is provided with a series of openings which register with openings 19 in the pipe 15. Said openings are designed to receive a piny 20 which provides mea-ns whereby t-he ,eye .bolt may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly. The corresponding I-bars of `each side ot said car are designed to receive a pipe yor frame member 21 rotatively mounted therein.

Said frame member`2l is held against longitudinal movement by means Aof* suitable pins 22. Pivotally mounted on each ofthe frame members 21, near each end, are laterally extending frame members 23, the'outer end of each member 23 vbeing provided with a seriesof openings 24. Said outer ends yare designed to receive a `beam 25, each end ot said beam being adjustably -mounted thereon by means `oit a pin l26 extending through the openings ,24. The beam de provided withv a series of downwardly extending Shanks 27. The upper lendsoi saidshanks arescrew threaded and extend .through the beam. `Each of the shanks is slidably and rotat-ively mounted in said beam and set to any desired position of movement by means of nuts28. The lowerend ofjeac'h ofthe shanks is provided with a cultivator disk 29. The disks may be adjusted various angles relative to each other orto a longitudinal line of movement ofthel car, andthe. depth of the disks may be also adjusted by moving `the Shanks lo-ngi'tudinally through the supporting beam.

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' cultivated and stirred in such a manner that The central portion of the frame member 21 is provided with a pair of upwardly extending supports 30, the upper ends of which are designed to rotatively support a crank shaft 31 provided with a cable drum 32 and also a ratchet wheel 33. Said ratchet wheel is engaged by the pawl 34 which prevents rotation ofthe drum 32 in one direction. One end of the cable 35 is secured to the drum 32, while the other end is secured to the central portion ofthe beam 25.

The upper ends of the supports are held against movement b means of a tie bar 36, while the lower en s of said supports are held against inward movement by means of a strap `37 which extends inwardly from the lower ends 30 and engages the outer surface of the upper ones of the side members 11. Y

The front disk of each set of disks 29 is preferabl set in a plane substantially at right ang es to the plane of the adjacent disk, in such a manner that the soil adjacent to the ends of the ties will be moved outwardly and any weeds cut loose. The adjacent disk will again move the soil inwardly as the motor car is advanced overthe track, thereby providing means whereby the soil adjacent to the ends of the ties maybe freed from weeds. In practical operation the disks 29 are permitted to engage the surface of t-he slope portion of the grade and the cables loosened to permit the said disks to follow the contour of the surface. The soil will then be all weeds will be cutjloose or covered. The

disks are mounted independently so that weeds and trash will pass between them without tangling. Thedisks may be set at any desired angle so the slope of the grade may be pro erly maintained. l

The beam 25 may alsobe moved toward or from the frame member 21, as well as the angle of said beam being adjustable relative to the line of movement of the car, thereby providing means whereby said device is very iiexible as to adjustment, so it may be made to accomplish the desired result.

The disks may be easily and quickly elevated to position adjacent to the sides of the uprights 30 when moving from one place oi work to another, or when it is desire/dto move the car from the track to accommodate passing trains. In this connection it should be noted that' the frame work, being made ot' tubular construction, is very light, and at the same time sulicientl strong to support the weeding elements. account of the car having to be `lifted from the track to accommodate passing trains.

Another importanty feature of my invention lies in the fact that the weeder attachment may be quickly removed when so desired by simply removing the pins 22 and the bolts from the brace 36, aft-er which the bars 18 may be slid from the ends of the is is very essential on pipes 15, permitting the entire weeder attachment to be quicklv removed. The motor car may then be used for any other desired purpose. It should be borne in mind that the weeder attachment will only be used about three months out of the year, and the wecder attachment may be stored away in a very compact form when not in use.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a weeder attachment Jfor small motor cars for railways of simple, durable andineXpe-nsive construction, which maybe easily and quick-` ly attached or removed, and in which a very small initial cost is necessary-to convertJ any ordinary motor car into a weedr mechanism which is capable of maintaining a large amount of road grade at a very small cost.

I claim as 'my invention;

1. In a railway weed destroyer, the combination with a railway car,`of`an auxiliary frame having aV air of laterally extending pivoted arms, a eam` adjustably secured to the free ends of said arms to move toward and from said car and capable of having its angularit-y adjusted relative to the line of advance of said car, means for elevating and lowering said beam, and a series of disks carried by said beam, and means for adjusting the angle of each of said disks 'relative to said beam and to the line of advance of said car. i v

' 2. In a railway weed destroyer, the combination with a railway car, of an auxiliary frame having laterall extending pivoted arms, a beam adjustab y secured to the free ends of said arms to move toward and from said car and capable of having its angularity adjusted relative to the line of advance of said car, means for elevatingand lowering said beam, a seriesof disks carried by said beam, 4means for adjusting the angle of each,

of said disks relative to said beam and to the line of advance of `said car, and means for adjusting the depth of said disks relative to each other. Y i

3. -In a railway weed destroyer, the combination with a railway car, of a pair of parallel and spaced pipes, means for securing said pipes transversely to the frame of said car.`

an eye bolt'slidably mounted in each end of said pipes, means for locking said eye bolts in position, a frame member mounted in each corresponding set of eye bolts, a laterally extending frame member pivotally mounted to Veach end of the first said frame member,

a beamV adj ustably mounted on the outer ends v of said corresponding laterally extending Vframe members, said beam` being provided with a series of vertically arrangedshanks rotatively` and slidably mounted therein, means for adjusting said Shanks at various positions of their movement, a disk for each of said beams, and means for elevating and lowering said beams. v

4. In combination with a railway car, of a pair of pipes, means for securing one of said pipes to each end of said ear, an eye bolt slidably mounted in each end of each oi said pipes, means for adjustably locking said bolts in position, a frame member mounted in each corresponding set of eye bolts, a laterally extending frame member pivotally mounted to each end of the lirst said frame member, a beam adjustably mounted on the outer ends of said corresponding laterally extendingr frame members, said beams being provided with a series of vertieallyarranged shanks rotatively and slidably mounted therein, means for adjusting said shanks at various positions of their movement, a disk for each of said shanks, means for elevating and lowering, said beams, said means oomprising a Windlass support, a Windlass for said support, and a cable having one end conneeted to said Windlass and its opposite end 20 to said beam.

Des Moines, Iowa, October 28, 1926.

MARTIN HOLLAND. 

